ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15

DHANVANTRI SCHOOL

SUPPORTED BY:

THE CHILD WELFARE TRUST, BHUJ

History In the late 1970s, Dr. Shantuben Patel left her flourishing career as a neonatologist in Birmingham, England and settled in Kutch, Gujarat. During her stay there, she noticed an unusually high occurrence of physically and mentally challenged children. As she spent time among the people and children, she became aware of how certain social and cultural beliefs and practices had created this atypical situation and were precipitating it further. She decided to start her own hospital—an inclusive space where any child could receive medical treatments. A free educational and therapeutic camp for the challenged children was organized in 1994 and again in 1995, initiated by Prof. Madhuri Kulkarni and her team from Sion hospital, Mumbai. In 1994, 110 challenged children attended this camp. Next year, this number rose to 450. At this point, it became clear that none of these children had ever received any schooling. Responding to this urgent need, Dhanvantri School was established in September 1996, to provide education and training to children with hearing impairments, intellectual challenges and Cerebral Palsy. Dhanvantri School began with 2 hearing impaired children; one of the mothers volunteered to be a teacher. By 2009, the number of children had increased to around 200, looked after by a team of 9 trained teachers and 6 trainee teachers.

To support the school, the Child Welfare Trust (CWT), Bhuj was established in 1998, with a clear agenda of mainstreaming the special children in Kutch. CWT is registered as a public charitable trust under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950, and it runs Dhanvantri School. A multidisciplinary group of professionals specializing in diagnosis, treatment, preventive techniques and training of children with special needs form the core of CWT. It is a joint effort, not only of medical professionals, but also other professionals, parents and sensitive citizens. This versatile collaboration works not only towards treating special children but also on mainstreaming them, by encouraging and facilitating community based rehabilitation (CBR) of the children. CWT's work should also be seen in the light of the Persons with Disability Act, 1995, which provides a legal framework to attain the entitlements of challenged children. Mission Statement The Child Welfare Trust recognises that all children are individuals—regardless of their disability—and respects their individual needs. It fosters a caring environment and encourages children to enhance their potential for holistic development. Our aim is to work towards achieving total inclusion of the children at all levels in society.

Goals CWT’s general objective is to develop and implement a structured programme for challenged children from their birth till the age of 16 years. This exhaustive program enables us to diagnose the condition and determine two actions: the appropriate treatment, and the individual educational program (IEP) for each child to rehabilitate and mainstream her. 3. Methodology 3.1 Early Intervention ‘At risk’ babies are brought to Dhanvantri School for assessment. If any disability is detected, intervention strategies are implemented straight away, depending on the diagnosis. If no abnormality is detected, the baby is still supervised till the age of 6 years, in order to detect any learning and behavioral disorders. Dhanvantri School is equipped to provide special education to children with hearing impairment, intellectual impairments and cerebral palsy. In each of these situations, early intervention is conducted by the following tests: • Identifying delayed milestones and motor skills • Neuro-developmental assessment • Pediatric audiometry tests • Behavior observation audiometry tests • Objective audiometry tests

3.2 Counseling Parents and Family members Parents are often distraught with the initial diagnosis and go through a phase of denial, refusing to accept that their child has a disability. In addition to this, the deep-rooted stigma surrounding disability in India makes it exceedingly difficult for both parents and their children to understand and address their concerns positively. Staff members of Dhanvantri School spend a considerable amount of time counselling parents and family members about what their child requires. Through counselling sessions, both the child and parents learn to come to terms with the disability and jointly participate in the intervention process. Involving parents and other family members in intervention strategies is a crucial component that significantly impacts the progress the child makes. Individual educational plans are drawn up for each child, according to the severity of their disability, and shared with the parents. Parents are also given assignments to complete with their child on a daily basis. These activities serve to develop a support system for the child and in the process, also prepare the parent to fully embrace their child's disability. 3.3 Home Visits At times parents refuse to bring their child to the school for testing, despite evidence of a disability. On such occasions, Dhanvantri School’s staff members and

parents of Dhanvantri children visit the homes of these children in order to assess their disability and convince parents of their child's need for special education. In most cases, several home visits are required before parents agree to enroll their children in the school. 3.4 Therapeutic Intervention Strategies Specific therapeutic intervention strategies are implemented under each of three disability areas that the Child Welfare Trust addresses. These are: • Hearing Impairment − Auditory training and conditioning − Fitting customized hearing aids and ear-molds − Facial orientation and Oro-motor exercises − Sensitization to tactile stimulation − Hearing aid management training for mother and

child − Speech and language training

• Intellectually Disability − Speech and language training − Classroom learning − Behavioral modifications − Social skills training − Training in ADL skills

• Cerebral Palsy − Physiotherapy and Oro-motor exercises − Hydrotherapy

− Occupational therapy − Sensory Motor Integration − Appliances training (calipers and splints) − Sensory Motor Integration kits: footwear, walkers,

wheel chairs, sitting aids, toilet training aids and feeding appliances

Hydrotherapy

Ball Pool

3.5 Art & Craft Dhanvantri School utilizes the medium of art and craft as therapeutic intervention with disabled children. Art and craft sessions such as embroidery, sewing, coloring, clay modeling, painting, creating costume jewelry, stitching, mud work and mirror work are interspersed within the curriculum. These activities develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination in children, in addition to expanding their creativity.

Articles made by children on display

3.6 Social integration and Mainstream School Inclusion Dhanvantri School’s primary objective is to integrate special students into mainstream society, and empower them to function independently on graduating from the school. Throughout the year, several excursion trips are taken to help the children become socially adaptive. These include visits to mainstream schools, public utility services, recreational facilities, among other places. On these excursions, Dhanvantri students learn how to adapt to mainstream society and function independently, without any external assistance. 3.7 Individual Educational Plans At the onset of every school year, and on admission, every child is functionally assessed by trained staff members at Dhanvantri School. Individual Education Plans are developed on the basis of this assessment, and shared with each child and her family. An ongoing assessment of each child’s progress is conducted and weekly reports are generated. These reports are shared with both the child and her parents in a way that even a child with grossly delayed development can understand them. For example, if a child brushes her teeth properly, a smiley face is put on the report card, indicating to her that she has done well. Additionally, a progress report of each child is created on a monthly basis.

4. Activities Like every year, a lot of activities were held during this year too, for keeping the children engaged and occupied.

4.1 Anapana Shibir A one-day Anapana shibir for school children of 8 years and above was held in the school. It began at 12 noon, and lasted four hours. Teachers handling mentally challenged children, hearing impaired children and cerebral palsy children gave seva during the shibir. Ms. Geetaben Dholakiya and Ms. Indiraben Halai also gave voluntary service.

Anapana Shibir

Before starting Anapana, children meditated for ten minutes. After that, they were taught about Anapana in brief. Once the shibir was completed, all children were checked, and let free to play. The following children attended the Anapana shibir:

HI Department MC Department Boys Girls Boys Girls

Shahbaz Ganga Akram Dharmistha Harsh Somaiya Zulfikar Priya Sajid Prerana Sumit Janaki Gautam Krupa Rajan Barakha Jeet Jesar Juberiya Ayan Divya Jeet Ajani Afsana Yuvraj Manasi Harshit Saniya Bhautik Taufik Sherbanu Arman Ravi Firoza Manan Nikhil Teena Shivam Kirtan Kinjal Yash Sohil Yashasvi Raja Mukhtar Gautam M. Faiz Kishan

Maheshwari

Kishan Goswami

Inzamam

4.2. Holi Celebrations Teachers and staff of the school celebrated Holi with children at the school. Children were explained the significance of the festival and why it is celebrated. Ms. Monaben made all the preparations for this event. Teachers and students prayed together. Students were happy to be celebrating Holi. After offering prayers, everyone played Holi with colors, and enjoyed themselves at the festival.

4.3 Janmashthami Celebrations Celebration of Janamasthmi was held on 14th August 2014 at our school. Staff and teachers arranged a Fancy Dress Competition for children.

Janamashtami Celeberations

Children of HI and MC departments looked very pretty in different dresses. Some of them dressed up as Lord Krishna, and Radha, while some others dressed up as policemen, tiger, fairy and cowboys.

Children dressed up as Radha and Krishna

After fancy dress competition, children broke the ‘Dahi Handi’ which was tied between first floor gallery and the dining space. Children cheered loudly for the brave participants. Chocolates and snacks were given to children, and prizes were distributed to children who took part in the Fancy Dress Competition. All children enjoyed the celebration thoroughly.

4.4 Raksha Bandhan Celebration Raksha Bandhan a well-known festival celebrating the relationship between brothers and sisters. It is held on Shravani Poornima, which fell on 8th August, 2014. This festival was celebrated in the school, in which every girl tied rakhee to a boy’s hand, and boys gave chocolates to all girls.

Rakshabandhan celebrations on 8th August 2014

On that day children wore new clothes. We organized a stall for selling rakhees made by our children. All students concluded the celebrations by having snacks together.

4.5 Distribution of Hearing Aids 29th January, 2015 was the first death anniversary of Late Dr. Shantuben Patel, the founder of Dhanvantri School and the Trust. She was paid tributes by distributing Hearing Aids to the following five children of the school.

1. Nandini Sathwara 2. Arsh Khalifa 3. Khushali Patel 4. Kanchan Meriya 5. Jeet Jesar

Our state minister Mr. Tarachand Chheda, teachers, students and parents observed a minute’s silence in remembrance of Late Dr. Shantuben Patel. The state minister did Deep Pragati, following which, Ms. Neelamben Vedant remembered the work of Late Dr. Shantuben Patel and introduced the school’s activities. Mr. Tarachand Chheda also gave a small speech and after that, distributed Hearing Aids to the children, which had been provided by donors. Ms. Neeta Shah and Ms. Pushpa Singh from the Parents Association gave speeches of thanks, on behalf of the school, to Mr. Tarachand Chheda, who announced a donation of educational software for a year through the K.V.O. Samaj. He also pledged to help the school in the future as well.

4.6. Diwali Celebrations Diwali was celebrated in the school on 17th October, 2014. The function was attended by the trustees of the school (Dr. Madhuri Kulkarni and Ms. Neelam Sarda), Ms. Dimpleben, Ms. Monaben, Dr. Shahenazben, staff of the school, children and parents. The Guests of Honour were Mr. Babubhai Patel, Ms. Jadhodaben, Ms. Indiraben, and Ms. Dipaliben from Ahmedabad, and Panel Members Ms. Kalpanaben and Ms. Neeshaben.

Diwali Function on 17th October 2014

The function began by observing a 2-minute silence, remembering the Late Dr Shantuben Patel, the founder & Managing Trustee of the school. After that, an introduction

to the Parents Association was given by Ms. Neetaben Shah, and Dr. Madhuri Kulkarni spoke about the school. Ms. Dipaliben talked to the parents about vocational and pre-vocational training for children. From 3 PM to 4 PM, there was a Rangoli competition for students and parents at the school, in which 10 students and 11 mothers took part. A prize distribution ceremony was held for children and mothers, the prize winners are as follows:

HI MC CP BEST STUDENT

Sherbanu Zulfikar Ved Suthar Krupa Shahbaz

BEST ATTENDANCE Prerna Divya Aashvi

BEST PERFORMANCE IN EXAM Bhavya Aarif Deep Mukhtar

Muskan M. Faiz Daksh Inzamam Taufik Bhautik Harshit Shivam

Bhavisha BEST MOTHER

Bhavanaben Sangeetaben Samimben Kinjal Soni and Ashiyana, two students who had been integrated earlier, also came to the school to distribute prizes.

Ms. Jashodaben, who gives voluntary service to school, also came early in the morning at 8 AM to make Rangolis with flowers in the foyer.

Ms. Jashodaben was honored with a prize acknowledging her long years of voluntary service to the school. After the celebrations, the Parents Association arranged snacks and soft drinks for all. The celebrations were concluded with a vote of thanks from Ms. Neelamben Sarda.

4.7. Home Visits Home visits were made during the academic year 2014–15 for all three departments: HI, MC and CP. 48 home visits were completed during October, January and April. Teachers examined the homes on several criteria, viz., type of house, family background, parents’ education and occupation, and behavior of every family member with the child.

4.8. Kite Festival This year as well, the Kite Festival was celebrated in the school. Like every year, Mr. Rameshbhai Shah and his wife Ms. Praffulaben came to celebrate this festival with all children of the school. All students, teachers and guests arrived on the terrace at 10.30 AM. Mr. Rameshbhai flew kites with the younger children. After the kite flying session, children were given sesame chikki and groundnut chikki to eat. Children resumed flying the kites, till 12 noon. All children thoroughly enjoyed the kite festival.

4.9. Medical Camp Like every year, a medical camp was organized this year too, on 7th and 8th February, 2015, under the guidance of the school’s Trustee Dr. Madhuri Kulkarni, Speech Therapist Ms. Neelam Sarda and psychologist Ms. Anita

Chitre. Dr. Anjana Thadani, Dr. Shubhada Joshi, Dr. Kranti Ambavade, psychologist Ms. Poornima Thakkar, social worker Ms. Ilaben Cholera and counsellor Ms. Sheetal Dhillon came from Mumbai for the camp.

On 7th February some children were checked from 10 AM to 5.30 PM. Snacks were provided to children at noon. During this camp, Mr. M. S. Johar, Director of AMW and Ms. Roshani Thakkar also came to visit. On 8th February, the rest of the students, and some new students were checked from 9 AM to 5 PM. During this camp, autistic children, mentally challenged children, hearing impaired children, cerebral palsy children and children with speech problems were examined. Strategies and approaches were provided to all teachers on how to work with all children during the case-discussion after the camp. All the teachers, helpers and parents participated in, and helped conduct this camp.

4.10 Nutrition Camp A Nutrition Camp was arranged at the school on 20th and 21st September, 2014. Our trustee, Dr. Madhuri Kulkarni, Dr. Usha Kamadar, Dr. Sunita Sanbaug, Dr. Khusboo Agrawal from Mumbai and Dr. Parul Valia from Vadodara had come to offer their services. On the first day, 48 children were checked from morning to noon. In the evening, there was a Healthy Food Competition arranged for the parents, in which 17 mothers took part. Certificates were awarded to everyone present.

Nutrition Camp held on 20th and 21st September, 2014 This was followed by a meeting between the doctors and parents, in which Dr. Suneeta Sanbaug, Dr. Parul Valia and Dr. Usha Kamadar gave guidance to parents about nutrition and healthy food suitable for their children. On the second day, 60 children were checked and their parents were given guidance by the doctors.

4.11. Picnic to Mandvi beach A picnic to Mandvi beach was organized on 22nd January, 2015 to Mandvi Beach. Teachers, students and some parents were invited for this picnic. The journey began at 9 AM, and children were served dabelis to eat while on the

bus. At 11:15 AM, the bus arrived at its first destination, viz., Godhara Ambe Dham. All the children did darshan in peace, and went on to visit the museum and the on-going exhibition. They enjoyed their explorations in serenity.

Picnic to Mandvi on 22nd January, 2015

Trustees and the staff present there served lunch with much politeness and love to all children. When the children were about to leave, they were given biscuits by the staff. After visiting Godhara Ambe Dham, the next destination was Mandvi Beach. All the children were overjoyed to see the ocean. Teachers took some of the small children with

them into the water. Older students enjoyed themselves thoroughly. All children enjoyed the camel rides and sipping coconut-water on the beach. Children were very happy and enjoyed every minute of their time. Teachers, staff, some parents and the children finally returned to the school at 5 PM.

4.12. Physiotherapy Camp A Physiotherapy camp was held on 23rd April, 2015 at the school. Dr. Taral Nagada, a specialist orthopedic surgeon for children came for camp, in which 17 children were checked. The doctor advised parents about operations and orthopedic appliances. Dr. Shahenaz Sumara, Ms. Varshaben Soni and Ms. Jasmitaben Oza gave their support to this camp.

4.13. Sports Day Friends of Kera (U.K.) arranged a Sports Day on 28th December, 2014, in which 28 students of Dhanvantri School took part. Two teachers, Ms. Varsha N. Soni and Ms. Sushila K. Yadav accompanied the students to Kera. As soon as the students reached Kera at 9 AM, they were served snacks. The competitions were held in three groups, viz., 6 to 12 year olds, 13 to 18 year old and above 18 years. There were competitions in long jump, high jump, (50m and 100m), running and throwball, and a participant could take part in any two of them. Kera had also arranged lunch for all students, and the students and teachers returned back to the school at 4 PM.

4.14. Visit by Mr. Vinodbhai Chavda, MP The MP of Kutch District, Mr. Vinodbhai Chavada visited the school on 20th January, 2014 at 10 AM. Mr. Navinbhai Joshi, a well-wisher of school, also came with Mr. Vinodbhai Chavada. He visited the HI, MC and CP departments and the vocational center. He talked to the children lovingly, and announced a grant of Rs. 3 lakh for the school’s computer laboratory. He appreciated the work done for disabled children at Dhanvantri School; and promised his continued support. The school’s staff, teachers, parents and children are extremely thankful for his grant.

4.15. Visit by students of Sinchan School 45 students of Sinchan School R.T.O., accompanied by three teachers, visited Dhanvantri School on 4th July 2014. They were curious to know how disabled children carry out their day to day activities, and how they learn. The students and teachers returned enlightened and happy after this visit.

4.16 Visit to the Fair During the Hindu month of Shravan, fairs are held on every Monday in Suralbhitt Shankar Mandir, located in the city of Bhuj. Children from Dhanvantri School were taken to the fair on 11th August, 2014 at 11 AM. Children were accompanied by four teachers, viz., Ms. Dimpleben, Ms. Jignaben, Ms. Jasmitaben and Ms. Kiranben. After offering prayers at the temple, the children explored the fair’s key attractions, viz., the toy shops and food stalls.

They took the Train and Airplane rides, and returned back having thoroughly enjoyed their outing.

4.17 Training of Guardians A training camp for the guardians of children was organized from 7th to 11th July, 2014. Guardians were trained about auditory, speech, reading and writing activities for children. They were also given guidance on how to interact with their children at home, and how to use hearing aids.

4.18 One Day Picnic Children were taken on a picnic to Lakshmi Narayan Temple, Dada-Dadi-ni-Wadi and Fotadi on 10th September, 2014. The children reported to school at 8 AM, and an hour later, 85 of them set off for the picnic on two buses. The first destination was Lakshmi Narayan Temple, where children offered prayers. They then proceeded to a garden nearby, where they played on the slide, see-saw, swings and merry-go-round. Children were given bananas and groundnuts to eat. At 11:30 AM, the picnic group went to Dada-Dadi-ni-Wadi, where the staff had arranged lunch for everyone. Children went off to play and teachers explored the huts of different shapes and sizes, meant for taking rest. There was a hill with an idol of Lord Shiva, next to a small lake. The last destination was Fotadi, where the picnic group arrived at 3 PM. Children spent their time playing in the park, while the older children devised a game of cricket with the bus drivers. The children returned to the school at 5 PM, had an ice-

cream, and chatted about the lovely time they das on this lovely picnic.

4.19 Parents Training Program A Parents Training Program was organized on 13th March, 2015 for all the three departments, viz., CP, HI and MC. The school’s speech therapist Ms. Neelamben Sarda, psychologist Ms. Anita Chitre and counsellor Ms. Meena Shiledar guided the parents on speech therapy, language development and behavior problems in children. Sessions for CP and MC students were conducted In the first half of the program from 11 AM to 2 PM. Issues of behavior and audible language development were discussed, along with possible approaches and good practices that parents could use with their children. The second-half of the program was held for the parents of HI children.

4.20 Sensory Integration (SI) Awareness Program On 14th March, 2015 an SI Awareness Program was organized in the school, conducted by Dr. Mona Patel, a physiotherapist, who came from Ahmedabad. The program was attended by Dhanvantri School’s trustee Ms. Neelam Sarda, and Counsellor Ms. Meena Shiledhar, teachers and parents. The program was held for two hours starting 3 PM for children of nursery school. A total of 11 Teachers from three nursery schools, viz., Happy Faces (9 teachers), Little Steps (1 teacher) and Shishu Kunj (1 teacher) attended this program. The next session was organized for two hours starting 7 PM, and was specifically for paediatricians and physiotherapists. Dr. Mona Patel gave guidance about sensory integration to

teachers and parents using a projector. Dr. Nehal Vaidya helped in organizing this session.

4.21 Summer Camp A Summer Camp was organized from 20th to 24th April, 2015 in the school, in which all children took part. The following activities were organized as part of the Camp:

1. Paper craft and Origami 2. Clay Toy-making 3. Swimming 4. Craftwork using Waste 5. Drawing 6. Snacks from rice flakes

Snacks from Rice Flakes during Summer Camp

4.22 Visit to Sarahad Amul Dairy The Sarahad Dairy in Lakhond (better known as Amul Dairy) extended an invitation to the school for a visit on the occasion of the Late Dr. Verghese Kurien’s birthday on 26th November, 2014. All students came to the school at 9:30 AM and ten teachers and 55 children left the school on a bus at 10 AM for this visit. Upon arrival at Sarahad Dairy, they took part in celebrations of what is now recognized as National Milk Day. The children watched a documentary film. After this, they went on a tour of the saw packing unit, cold storage and milk tasting process.

Visit to Sarahad Amul Dairy on National Milk Day

Every day, pouches containing 50,000 litres are being distributed by this unit. Children were given information on different milk-based items made by Amul. A book on Dr. Verghese Kurien was also gifted to the children by Amul Dairy.

4.23 Visit by Sadhvi Sheelapriji & Mr. Rameshbhai Shah Sadhvi Sheelapriji, the founder of Virayatan Vidhyapith in Mandvi, Kutch, Mr. Rameshbhai Shah, one of the prime donors to our school, and his wife Ms. Praffulaben Shah, visited Dhanvantri School on 29th January, 2015. Sadhvi Sheelapriji meditated with the children for 10 minutes. After this, accompanied by Mr. Rameshbhai Shah and his wife, she visited the CP department, where Dr. Shahenaz Sumara, physiotherapist, attended to them. They then went on to visit the other two departments also. Sadhvi Sheelapriji appreciated the work of Dhanvantri school’s students and staff, and wished them good progress.

5. Impact 5.1. Overview of Beneficiaries (2014-2015)

General OPD Nutrition camp Medical Camp Total 48 110 91 249

Sr. No.

Disability

Male

Female

Total

1 Hearing Impairment 21 20 41 2 Intellectual Disability 34 13 47 3 Autism 16 7 24 4 Cerebral Palsy 21 10 31 5 Early Intervention for

Developmental Delay 15 11 26

6 Home-based Program (CP) 2 2 4 Total 174

6. Team 6.1 Major Donors The Child Welfare Trust is grateful to the following donors for their generous contributions. • Shah Family Trust, USA • Shishukunj, UK • Messrs. Pragya Securites Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai • Mr. Jitubhai Shah, USA • Mr. Bharatbhai Shah, Mumbai

6.2 Staff Hearing Impaired Department • Ms. Dimple. K. Shah • Ms. Vanita. H. Vasava • Ms. Anjana Patel • Ms. Arpita Gamit • Ms. Jasmita. N. Oza

Intellectually Impaired Department • Ms. Mona. J. Solanki • Ms. Surbhi Kharadi • Ms. Rekha Rathod • Ms. Manshi Acharya • Ms. Nikita Chande

Cerebral Palsy Department • Dr. Shahenaz Sumara • Ms. Varsha. N. Soni • Ms. Jasmita. N Oza

6.3 Logistics Team • Ms. Neeta Rajput – Arts Teacher • Ms. Jashodaben Patel – Volunteer (Sports and Yoga) • Mr. Hamidbhai Node –Driver • Mr. Siddikbhai Osman – Driver

7. Trustees Late Dr. Shantuben Patel, Managing Trustee Dr. Shantuben Patel was born and raised in Kenya, and completed her MBBS from Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, India in 1972. She went on to complete her DCH from Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians, London, in 1976 and her DTM&H from University of Liverpool, UK, in 1979. Since 1979, Dr. Shantuben had been a practicing pediatrician and neonatologist in Bhuj, Gujarat. She conducted a vaccination program for polio and measles in 28 villages, from 1982 to 1984. This vaccination drive was financed by the villages, and through similar intervention programs, Dr. Shantuben vaccinated over 4,000 children against Measles and 22,000 against Polio. She was selected as an Amazing Indian by the TIMES NOW TV channel, and was the recipient of Senior Citizen Award-2013 by CNN-IBN News Channel. Shantuben served as a managing trustee of Dhanvantri School, Bhuj since its inception in 1996, till she breathed her last on 29th January 2014. Though Shantuben is no more with us, her legacy lives on in the hearts of the Dhanvantri family.

Prof. Madhuri Kulkarni, Member Trustee Prof. Madhuri Kulkarni completed her post-graduation from Seth G.S. Medical College, Mumbai in 1976. She joined T. N. Medical College as a lecturer in Pediatrics and went on to become Professor & Head of the Department of Paediatrics at LTM Medical College and LTMG Hospital, Sion, Mumbai in 1990. After many years of dedicated service, Prof. Kulkarni was promoted to Dean In-Charge at LTM Medical College, Sion, Mumbai. She was subsequently recognized and awarded as an International Scholar by Clew Cleveland Clinic Foundation, USA. Over the years, Prof. Kulkarni has taken on several prestigious roles including being an inspector of the National Board of Examinations, an examiner for various degrees in Paediatrics, an editor of Paediatric Clinics of India and as the President of the Indian Association of Paediatrics (IAP). Prof. Kulkarni now serves as a member trustee of Dhanvantri School, Bhuj. Ms. Neelam Sarda, Member Trustee Ms. Neelam Sarda graduated in Audiology and Speech therapy from Nair hospital, Mumbai, in 1975. She worked as an audiologist at Virani School for the Deaf in Rajkot. Subsequently, Ms. Sarda has worked as a private practitioner in Jamnagar. She now serves as a member trustee of Dhanvantri School, Bhuj.

Website: https://sites.google.com/site/childwelfaretrust/ E-mail: cwtbhuj@gmail.com Postal Address Dhanvantri School, c/o Child Welfare Trust, Near Pramukh Swami Char Rasta, Mundhara Relocation Site, Mirzapur Road, Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat, India PIN 370001 Phone +91-(0)2832-291366 (Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM) (Saturday, 10 AM to 1 PM)